Auburn basketball earns its first No. 1 seed since 1999. Here is what to know about the Tigers’ first round matchup.
The dust has settled from the NCAA Tournament selection show, and the Auburn Tigers are ready to begin their quest for its first national championship.
Auburn grabbed the No. 1 overall seed in the South region, and will open up the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against the No. 16 seed Alabama State/St. Francis in Lexington, Kentucky. The Hornets and Red Flash will square off on Tuesday at 5:40 p.m. CT in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner’s reward being a date with the top-seeded Auburn Tigers.
Alabama State stunned Jackson State in the SWAC Tournament on Saturday, 60-56, to earn the conference’s automatic bid. The Hornets were paced by CJ Hines’ 20 point effort in the win. Alabama State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 19-15 record, finishing No. 4 in the SWAC. Alabama State does bring plenty of momentum with them into the tournament by winning six-straight games to close the season.
St. Francis defeated Central Connecticut State in the NEC Championship Game, earning its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1991. The Red Flash squeaked out the 66-63 win in a game where neither team trailed by more than four points throughout. Riley Parker and Juan Cranford each connected on two three-point attempts in the win, with Cranford leading the team with 14 points. Like Alabama State, St. Francis has won six games in a row entering NCAA Tournament play, so their 16-17 record is not to be taken lightly.
Auburn wrapped up the No. 1 seed by boasting an impressive resume. Auburn ended conference tournament week ranked No. 2 in the NET with an impressive 16-5 record over “quad-1” teams, two more than the No. 2 team, Houston. Auburn also won 22 games over teams in both quad-1 and quad-2, which is a better record that Florida, Houston, Alabama, and Michigan State built. The team has received criticism, however, due to its recent slump. After building a 27-2 record, the Tigers dropped four of its final five games ahead of March Madness and will enter the tournament at 28-5.
The winner of Auburn’s first round game with Alabama State or St. Francis will face No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
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